Beckham, Revisited

Five years ago, he arrived: David Beckham, in LA, a newly crowned member of the LA Galaxy. There were high-profile matches (Chelsea). There were parties (Tom Cruise, Will Smith, CAA). There was reality TV (not worth mentioning). Tomorrow, he leaves. After one final match—this year's MLS Cup (the league championship)—the David Beckham experiment will be over.

So, how'd that go? When Beckham showed up in America, I took to the pages of this magazine to argue the "pro" side of a Beckham's-arrival-shows-soccer's-time-has-come argument. I don't remember exactly what I said, but it was something along the lines of: America loves a spectacle. I concluded with an ultimately stupid proclamation that, before long, field-side at LA's Home Depot Center would have the same cache as courtside at the Staples Center and that soccer would seep its way into the American mainstream through the pages of People magazine.

As it turns out, America may love a spectacle, but not so much an imported one. Beckham's first few seasons were injury-ridden flops. His wife's reality show was panned, and she never got another look from Hollywood. By the time Grant Wahl's definitive The Beckham Experiment debuted in 2009, the book's subtitle said it all: "How the world's most famous athlete tried to conquer America." Aside from a brief successful loan to AC Milan, it was looking like America was where David Beckham's soccer career had gone to die.

But a funny thing happened. Beckham kept playing. His team, under Bruce Arena's leadership, kept getting better. Last year, they won MLS Cup. This year, they're competing for it again. Beckham still shows flashes of brilliance bright enough that Europe is full of rumors on where the 37-year-old player will land next.

And Major League Soccer benefited too. The price of franchise rights went up. TV rights did as well. A lot of jerseys were sold. Perhaps most importantly, Beckham's presence paved the way for other top names such as Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane to make their way to the US. All of these things put MLS on more stable footing, and the league certainly appreciates it. "He put our league on everyone's mind," says MLS Senior Director of Brand and Integrated Marketing David Bruce. "We're in a really good place because of David."

There's no doubt that that's true. But the most important developments in American pro soccer over the last few years have been happening far from the Hollywood spotlight. The best place to see this is Seattle. In 2007, when Beckham came to America, the Seattle Sounders had just been named an expansion team. Fueled by a vibrant local fan culture—complete with a marching band, parades in the streets, and highly organized supporters' groups—the Sounders broke league attendance records this year, averaging 43,000 per game. An October match against regional rival (and fellow expansion club) the Portland Timbers drew 66,452. What's most interesting about that attendance number is that it beats out Beckham's 2007 NYC debut in a Galaxy-Red Bulls match as the second-highest in league history. This doesn't look anything like importing spectacle from abroad; it looks like building it from within.

And it seems that, with the Beckham era over, MLS is recognizing this. Earlier this week, the league sent around its new 30-second promo for tomorrow's game. It's directed by Daniel Garcia, who does music videos for LCD Soundsystem. Beckham appears exactly once. "We wanted it to be about what makes the sport different," says Bruce. "It's in the voice of the fans—about having confidence in the game." Five years on from Beckham's coming-to-America, the voiceover says it all: "This is no glitz, no glam...this is soccer."